Film holder



Sept. 7 1926. 1,599,029

c. E. PHlLLlPS ET AL FILM HOLDER Filed Nov. 9, 1925 2 sheets-Sum 1 gnucntom mmzzzb s, ['67 Had c. E. PHILLIVPS ET. AL

FILM HOLDER Filed Nov. 9, 1925 2 sheets-shed 21 Patented Sept. 7, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,599,029 PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. PHILLIPS, THOMAS G. HODGES, AND RALPH D. ANDERSON, F PRATT,

KANSAS.

FILM HOLDER.

Application filed November 9, 1925. Serial No. 67,789.

Our invention relates in general to holders for sheet materials and more particularly to devices adapted for holding sheets of thin material while they may be immersed in treating liquids or solutions, or exposed to the air for drying, or'while subjected to other treatments.

In its more specific embodiment, it is an object of our invention to provide a device adapted to hold out photographic films, such as those formed of a pyroxylin composition or other suitable transparent material while these are immersed in or otherwise treated with developing, fixing or washing liquids, exposed to the air for drying or subjected to other treatments.

The objects of our invention and its mode of operation will be more fully apparent from the following description of a preferred form or embodiment of the invention taken together with the drawings illustrative of same, in which Figure 1 is a side view of the device shown as carryin a film secured therein, the device and 1m being suspended in a tank shown in cross section;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a preferred form of film holding clip looking downwardly and showing a film and a support- 30 ing rod on which the clip is mounted in cross section, along the line 2-2of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the preferred form of clip or holder and a tension spring adapted for holding the upper edge of a film, a supporting rod for t shown in cross section along the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a vertical, sectional view along the line,44 of the device as shown in Figure 1; and i Figures 5, 6 and 7 are detail views upon a larger scale, showing more clearly certain features of specific construction of our preferred device.

In its preferred embodiment, as shown in the drawings, our device, particularly adapted for use as a photographic film holder, may comprise a frame 1, which may be formed from a single piece of metal wire or rod, or from other suitable material, and which will usually be of rectangular configuration and may be provided at its upper end with two outstanding or offset portions, 2 and 3, adapted to rest upon the upper edge of a developing tank or other e same being receptacle, in which the device and the film carried thereby may be suspended. It will be noted that the off-set 2 is longer than the off-set 3 where the two end portions of the single wire forming the frame 1 lie parallel, the length being sufficient to form a handle for manipulating the frame in the developing or other tank and in addition operates to support the frame at one edge of the tank similarly to the off-set 3. Fixed at the lower end of this frame 1 a clip 4 is provided, adapted for holding the lower edge of a cut film or other sheet material to be carried by the holder.

As more clearly shown in Figures 5 and 6, this clip in its preferred embodiment may comprise a member 5, which may be formed of a strip of sheet metal provided at its ends with rings or retaining devices 6, adapted to engage the upright members of the frame 1 and to hold the clip in position therebetween. The member 5 may also be provided with retaining rings or members 7, adapted similarly to engage the lower bar of the frame 1, thus holding the clip 4 in position at the bottom of the frame. At suitable intervals, along the face of the member 5, retaining points 8 are positioned, these being formed preferably by stamping out or displacing suitably small triangular portions of the material of the member 5 itself, these points being of any suitable number and spacing; for example, equally spaced and five in number, as shown in Figure 1, which has in practice been found to be a very satisfactory construction, in the case of a holder for film 8 by 10 inches in size.

The upper edge portion of the member 5 may be bent into a horizontal position oppositely to the direction in which the points 8 extend, thus forming a stiffening flange 9 as shown in Figure 6. From the bottom of the member 5 integral lugs or extensions 10 may be provided, adapted to serve as stops for the bottom of a film or sheet of material when inserted in the clip 4. Adjacent the ends of the member 5 extensions 11 are formed, provided with openings 12, serving for the pivotal mounting of a cooperating member 13, which as shown in Figure 5 may be formed of a single piece of sheet metal or other suitable material and may be provided, at its ends, with extensions 14, which are inserted in the openings 12 and serve as pivots upon which the member 13 may be partially rotated conveniently by grasping the extension 15 provided thereon.

Secured to the frame 1 an upper clip 16 is provided, which, as shown in Figures 1, and T, may comprise a vertical memher preferably formed of sheet metal, provided on one side with points 18 which may be formed similarly to the points 8 and which extend in the same direction) and provided at its lower edge with an oppositely extending flange 19, serving in the same manner as thettlange 9 as a stitlemng and strengthening member. The member 17 is provided, at its ends, with guideways 2O loosely engaging the upper portions of the frame 1, whereby the clip 16, of which the member 17 constitutes a portion, is free to more within certain limits along the frame. At each end of the clip 16, tension devices, such as springs 21, are provided one end being secured to an end of clip 16 and the other to the frame above the clip, whereby these tension devices tend to draw the clip upwardly when depressed below its normal position. The clip 16 also comprises an eccentric retaining member, similart'o or identical'with the member 1.3 of the lower clip 1, and which may be similarly mounted and provided 'ith a similar extension 533 for convenience in 'n'ianipulating the same. The upper clip is preferably also provided with suitable linger holes 22 for convenience in' depressing the clip 16 in inserting a him or other piece of sheet material inthe device and removing the film or-other sheet from the device.

Ordinarilyand preferably, our holder will be formed of dimensions such that the distance between the upper and lower clips, when the upper-clip is in its normal position, corresponds to one dimension of a rectangular film or sheet, which the device is especiallyadapted to hold. In using the device. the eccentric retaining member 13 ot the lower clip and the similar retaining member of the upper clip will be turned into such position that'the' jaws of the clips areopen. The lower edge of the film or sheet-will then be placed upon the extensions or st pg 10 of the lower clip, the retaining member or eccentric 13 then being closed against the iilm or sheet, so that the points 8 engage the film and cooperate to retain it in pla e. The upper clip will then be preferably slightly depressed from its normal position and while so depre seal the upper edge of the tilm or sheet will be secured iii-the upper clip upon the points 18 in the same manner as the lower edge is secured in the clips. The upper clip then being released from the operators grasp is drawn upwardly again to its normal position by the tension members or springs 21, so that the film or sheet is held in a taut and flat position in the holder which, to-

gether with the film, may be inserted in t tank 0'! developing solution, or subjected to other treatments.

As clearly shown in Figures 1 and 5, the portions of the clips provided with extension pivots 11 are rotatable through ap proximately a halt revolution about their extension pivots 11 and are formed each with a flange or bearing surface which in closed position of the clip bears tightly against the surface of the film adjacent one of its edges and clamps it tightly against the cooperating back plate et the clip, thus uniformly distributing whatever strain or tension the lilm may undergo along the entire edge of the film and minimizing the chance of tearing the film such as exists when the corner or other points of the film are locally subjected to undue and unequal stresses in other forms of holders ofdis similar construction.

Our device has been found especially suitable for holding films, such as used by phys icians in X-ray photography during the development and subsequent tixing,washin and drying of such films. By the specizil construction of the device, asshown and described, the him is held atclosely spaced intervals along the entire extent ottwo opposite edges and the tension and stress up-' on the lilm' approximatelyequally"dis tr buted over its different portions, thus minimizing or avoiding any chance of undue strain or tearing of the corners or other" particular portions of the film.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is I 1. .11 film support con'iprising a rectangular i'rame formed of a single piece ofsubstantially rigid wire, and having two outstanding oil sets at its upper end adapted to engage the upper edge of a developing tank for suspending the frame therein, clips mounted on the frame. adapted to engage a film uniformly along two parallel edges, one

of said clips being mo "able to anthfroln the other, and resilient means connecting the ends oi the movable clip to opposite'side members of the frame, whereby a film held between the two clips may be maintained taut under a substantially uniform tension.

A .tilm support comprising a rectangu lar -frame formed of a single piece of substantially rigid wire. and having two outstanding oil-sets at its upper end adapted to engage the upper edge or a developing tank for suspending the frame therein, a clip fixed to the lower end of the frame adapted to secure one edge of a lilm thereto, a clip for the other end of a film slidably mounted on" two opposite side members of the frame in parallel relation to the fixed clip, U-shaped' springs having their ends respectively fixed' to said side members and to the ends ofthe slidable clip, and finger loops formed in the latter constituting means for moving the slidable clip against the action of the springs.

3. A holder for out hotographic films comprising a rigid wire rame having a film clip secured thereto at a horizontal side thereof and a second film cli parallel to the first clip and slidable on t e two vertical sides of the frame and springs between the frame and latter clip to retract it from the opposed clip to hold a film taut.

4. A holder for out photographic films comprisin a rectangular frame havin offsets at eac side at the top one of WhlCh is elongated to form a handle, a film clip secured to the bottom of the frame and a second film clip parallel to the first clip and slidable on the sides of the frame and springs between the frame and said second clip.

CHARLES E. PHILLIPS, M. D. THOS. G. HODGES. RALPH D. ANDERSON. 

